Ink fountain



R. A. PANNIER INK FOUNTAIN Jan. 9, 1951 Filed Sept. 50, 1947 INVENTORZ FHA/ H PQ/V/V/EE,

HIS ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 9, 1951 INK FGUNTAIN Ralph A. Pannier, Pittsburgh, Pa, assignor to Pannier Bros. Stamp Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application September 30, 1947, Serial No..77.7,04'1 4Claims. (cr m -cs7) This invention relates to improvements in ink fountains for wetting printing rolls and the like and more particularly to a vertical automatic ink fountain.

Heretofcre, it has been conventional practice to wet Vertical ink fountains for supplying ink or printin fluid to vertically disposed printing dies by intermittently swabbing the fountains with a brush or mop. In addition to the time 7 involved, such method depends on the workmans attention to keep the fountain properly supplied and unless he is quite careful, some spillage may result. In food processing plants where the printing dies are used for marking food containers, such spillage can be quite serious. in that it results in condemnation of the food by government inspectors.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing disadvantages and provide a vertical inking fountain which operates automatically.

It is a further object to provide an inking fountain which is simple in design and efficient in operation.

The foregoing and further objects will be apparent from the following specification when read in conjunction with the attached drawing, wherem:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a vertically di posed circular printing die or drum and fountain for wetting the same; b

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of my improved fountain; and

Figure 3 illustrates a preferred cam development.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the letter A designates a suitable circular drum for mounting printing dies. This may be positively driven in synchronism wth the work to be printed or may be rotated solely by contact with the member being imprinted thereby.

The printing drum A is adapted to be wetted by a fountain member B. The drum and fountain may be driven solely by its frictional engagement with the printing drum or the two may be positively interconnected by suitable ear indicated by the numeral 2.

The inking fountain B is a cylindrical member comprising upper cap t and lower cap 6, and a casing member 8 screw threadeclly mounted in l the upper cap and in the outer side of an annular groove It in the lower cap 5. The cylinder is rotatably mounted by means of a shaft I2 extending downwardly into support bearing it. The casing B has a plurality of apertures 16 for the transmission of ink to a felt covering l8. A rub- .ber seal lea may be provided at the bottom of the felt covering.

A tubular member 28 of slightly smaller outside diameter than the inside of the casing 8 is mounted inte-riorly thereof, preferably by a screw-threaded connection to the inner wall of the annular roove It". The inner tubular member projects upwardly to a point near the top of the cylinder and provides an. annular chamber 22 between the outer casing and the tubular member which extends preferably to above the upper end of the. felt coverin H8. The tubular member 28 also provides an inner chamber or reservoir 2Q for ink for suitable printing fluid.

The rinting fluid is transferred from the inner reservoir 24 to the annular chamber 22 by a suitable reciprocating pump 30. This may comprise a vertically disposed'relatively small tubular member secured to the cap 6. which extends upwardly towards the mid-portion of the fountain. This provides a pump chamber 3 1 having inlets below a ball check valve 38. A hollow piston it having its lower end disposed in the tube 32 and having a sliding fit therewith projects upwardly to about the upper end of the fountain and has an inlet 42. in its lower end normally velosed by a ball check valve M. Adjacent the upper end of the piston ii are hollow arms 46 extendin over the inner tubular member 20 and providing. outlets 38 above the annular chamber 22'. a

The upper end of the hollow piston 40 is connected to a piston rod 5!} extending into the upper cap i and connected thereto by suitable keys or splines 52. These permit the piston rod to reciprocate relative to the cylinder but rotation of the cylinder is transmitted to the rod. Suitably afiixed to the upper end of the rod are outwardly extending arms 54 having cam followers 55 disposed in an annular cam 58 having wavy upper and lower surfaces 69. The cam 58 is mounted in a suitable support 62.

In operation, the vertical fountain is rotated along with the printing drum A either by reason of frictional contact therebetween or by a positive drive. Rotation of the fountain is imparted to the piston rod causing the cam followers 56 to rotate and reciprocate the rod up and down due to the wavy opening in the cam 58. This reciprocatory movement is transmitted to the hollow piston 46 to lift ink from the inner reservoir to the annu ar chamber 22 from whence ink travels through the apertures Hi to the felt l8 and onto the drum A. Once the chamber 2 2 is full, the ink delivered through the exit 48 merely overflows the upper end of the tubular member 20 back into the inner reservoir 24. The operation of the pump itself is as follows. On the down stroke, the ball check valve is lifted permitting fluid in the pump chamber 34 to flow into the hollow piston 40. On the upper stroke, ball check valve 44 closes and ball check valve 38 opens, fluid being drawn into the chamber 34 from the reservoir 24. The valve 38 of course closes on the down stroke of the piston whereby the ink is forced upwardly thereinto. From the foregoing, it is seen that the felt covering is kept wetted at all times that the drum and fountain are rotated by the automatic operation of thepump. The only attention required by the workman is to replenish the ink in the inner reservoir. This may be done through a suitable opening 10 in the upper cap 4.

While I have shown and described one specific embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that this embodiment is merely for the able, vertically disposed, closed-end cylinder having a perforated mid-portion, an upstanding tube-like member in said cylinder extending above the perforated portion thereof providing inner and outer compartments therein, said out- .er compartment being adapted to supply ink to the outer surface of said cylinder through the perforations therein, and pump means in said inner compartment for transferring ink from said inner to said outer compartment.

2. A vertical ink fountain comprising a rotatable, vertically disposed, closed-end cylinder having a perforated mid-portion, an upstanding tube-like member in said cylinder extending above the perforated portion thereof providing inner and outer compartments therein, said outer compartment being adapted to supply ink to the outer surface of said cylinder through the perforations therein, and pump means in said inner compartment actuated by the rotation of said cylinder for transferringink from said inner to said outer compartment.

3. A vertical ink fountain comprising a ro- 'tatable, vertically disposed, closed-end cylinder having a perforated mid-portion, an upstanding tube-like member in said cylinder extending above the perforated portion thereof providing inner and outer compartments therein, said outer compartment being adapted to supply ink to the outer surface of said cylinder through the perforations therein, a pump in said inner compartment adapted to transfer ink to said outer compartment, a piston rod for operating said pump, a cam follower on said piston rod, means for transmitting rotary movement of said cylinder to said iston rod, an undulant cam engaging said cam follower whereby rotation of said cylinder operates said pump to transfer ink from the inner to the outer compartment and thereby automatically ink the surface of said cylinder.

4. A vertical ink fountain comprising a rotatable, vertically disposed, perforated, closedend cylinder, an upstanding tube-dike member in said cylinder providing an inner compartment and an outer annular compartment, said outer annular compartment being adapted to supply ink to the outer surface of said cylinder through the perforations therein, a reciprocating pump in said inner compartment adapted to transfer ink to said outer compartment, 2. piston rod connected to said pump for operating the same, said rod extending above said cylinder and having a spline connection therewith whereby rotary movement of said cylinder is transmitted to said rod, a cam follower connected to said rod, an annular undulant cam above said cylinder engaging said follower whereby rotation of said cylinder reciprocates said pump to transfer ink from said inner to said outer compartment and thereby automatically ink the surface of said cylinder.

RALPH A. PANNIER.

EEFEEENGES CETED The following references are of record in the of patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 769,499 Sheets Sept. 6, 1904 857,221 Anderson et al. June 18, 1907 979,649 Chipperfield Dec. 27, 1910 1,044,426 Smith Nov. 12, 1912 1,214,787 Hoe Feb. 6, 1917 1,275,256 Hoe Aug. 13, 1918 1,633,596 Lievens June 28, 1927 

